Puppy Tales
by Ryoko21
Summary: (Set when Inu is a puppy) Inu Yasha is injured by some villagers and a strange man saves him. But who and what is this stranger and why does he seem to know Inu so well? Read and find out! Finished!
1. Ch 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha. Duh.  
  
Inu Yasha, a hanyou of eight years old, bolted through the forest trees. He had long ago left the panting men of the village behind him, but he was anxious to get home and enjoy his meal. As an orphan and a wanderer, Inu was forced to fend for himself. Since the rains had come, all the animals of the forest had stayed well hidden, and Inu hadn't had a decent meal all through the spring rains. Which brought him around to stealing. He hadn't really stolen much, just a couple of fish, but he had to steal a few fish every few days to keep off hunger, and every time he went to steal there were more guards at the market. It wasn't like that fat merchant he had stolen them from needed the money, he could afford to loose a pound or two. But when it came to demons, even hanyous, villagers had little tolerance. Especially the big villages, like the one he was living near now.   
  
After a close call with another demon in his previous home, Inu had wanted to make camp in a place with less demons around and get his bearings back. Ever since his mother died a year ago Inu had been a wanderer, living where he could and stealing when he had to. Sometimes a family would ask him to stay and work for them if he proved himself to be kind, but he was never able to stay long before someone was trying to kill him again.   
  
So now he had taken up residence outside a large village, one that might even have been called a city back in that era, and was simply wondering what to do next.   
  
Ahead of him, Inu saw the cave that he had come to call home, a small niche in the side of a cliff. High enough up that he didn't have to worry about nosey people finding, him but low enough that he could climb up without any problem. A few jumps on the unstable rocks of the cliff and Inu entered his hideaway, quickly putting his ill-gotten fish into the fire to roast. His mouth watered at the smell of the roasting fish, since he hadn't eaten in three days, and he scarfed it down before it was totally done. Finally full, little Inu lay down on his hard mattress of two blankets, one covering the hay and grass he had used to make his bed, and a small pillow.   
  
The early spring night was still chilly, so Inu tightly wrapped the blanket around his small form and breathed in the scent of apple blossoms, something that the blanket hadn't lost even though it's deep blue color had faded and it now held more than a few holes. The blankets, a necklace that had belonged to his mother, and a spare set of clothes were the only things that Inu kept with him. The blankets were Inu's most treasured possession, since his mother had sewn them specially for him and they were made of the strongest wool, they were the only thing that could hold up against a baby hanyou' nightmares, though he had stopped having bad dreams a few years ago. Inu breathed in the scent of the blankets, the scent of his mother, again then snuggled down into the bed for warmth. Since the wind didn't penetrate the cave and the fire stayed lit all night, Inu got a good night's sleep, blissfully unaware of what was going on around him.   
  
He never realized that the angry merchant he had stolen from and the villagers were now so frightened and angry that they had put out a huge bounty to anyone who could hunt him down and kill him. He had no idea that two huge hounds had tracked him back to his lair and where now returning to their masters. And he was still in a blissful sleep when these fifteen men, armed to the teeth, took their dogs into the forest in hopes of collecting the high bounty on the little hanyou's head.   
  
However, he was also unaware of the other creature in the forest, who already knew where he was, and would have no trouble getting at the little pup if it had wanted. It knew about the bounty, but didn't care about money. So for now it was only present to see how the little hanyou fared against so many humans. Inu never knew this while he slept, his tiny ears surrounded by silver/white fur were too tired to hear the comings and goings of all these seemingly unrelated beings at once, so he remained softly tucked away in his little burrow.   
  
Until, that is, smoke began to waft into his shelter and fill it so that he could no longer breathe. Inu woke with a yelp and tried to twist out of his blankets in a panic, but only managed to get himself even more tightly wrapped. With the combination of smoke staving his oxygen and the blankets being wrapped around his head and neck, constricting with his every move, Inu felt as though he was being strangled. It was only when he had become so tangled in his blankets that he noticed the voices shouting to one another outside and panicked.   
  
In a demonic feet of strength, Inu ripped his way out of the blankets. Covering his mouth with his shirt sleeve, he ran to the mouth of the cave and looked down at his attackers. From his vantage point he could see four men, but he could smell more in the forest. Inu desperately looked around for a way to jump over them and escape, but he was trapped inside his own sanctuary. The smoke rose up Inu's delicate nose, sending him into a coughing fit that sent him to his knees. He had no choice.  
  
It was either fight or die, and Inu wanted to live. 


	2. Ch 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha. Hell, I don't even own this computer, but you don't see that stopping me, now do you?  
  
Inu leaped out of the cave and off of the cliff in one great bound. Gracefully, he fell through the air and landed with both feet on the shoulders of one of his attackers, plowing him into the ground. But Inu didn't have time to savor his victory, as another man rushed at him with a sword. Inu dodged the sword and sank his claws into the man's tender belly as his momentum drove him passed.   
  
Blood slicked his hands as he dodged another attack, this one from a club. It managed to tap both on Inu's ears as he barely managed to duck his head and avoid the blow. The man wielding the club was at least six times as tall as Inu and towered above the pup, however he was slow and clumsy. The man raised the club over his head and swing down at Inu, missing by a long shot this time. In the moments before the man could get the club off the ground, Inu ran up the club and climbed up the mans arm, then punched him in the face using his claws to inflict as much damage as possible.   
  
He leapt through the air and away as the man fell to the ground, only to have a searing pain shoot through his arm. Inu looked down to see a small cut and realized that he had just barely missed being hit with a dagger. Another dagger whizzed by Inu's face, putting a tiny cut in his cheek, followed by another that imbedded itself deep within his shoulder. Without the use of his now injured right arm, Inu managed to jump into a nearby tree and spot the dagger-thrower hiding behind a rock. Inu pounced on him and used his claws to slice away part of the man's shoulder, but two more men crept up behind him and used heavy swords to try and take off Inu's head. Inu managed to dodge most of the blows, but one o the knives caught him on the collarbone, slicing it open.   
  
Inu wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up this pace as a slow drizzle began, the rain impaired the men's views, but Inu could still see perfectly. He managed to come up behind the two with swords and lay his claws into their unprotected backs. One of the men screamed as they went down and there was suddenly a rain of arrows coming at Inu from four different directions.  
  
Blindly, Inu rain forward and jumped into a tree disposing of one of the archers hiding there. Just as the archer fell, inu felt an excruciating pain as an arrow tore it's way through his stomach. The wound was low and to the right, but the pain caused Inu to waver as it surged through his body. All Inu could do to keep from falling out of the tree was clutch desperately to the trunk. But Inu was high in the tree and his position made him visible to the men below.   
  
Inu heard a whizzing sound, but with his wounds he was not quick enough to move. A spear drove itself through his back and out the other side of his chest. Inu had no choice but to fall out of the tree and into a circle of men. The impact from landing on his side from twenty feet in the air instantly broke Inu's arm with a loud crack. Blows began to rain on Inu and he tried to curl into a protective ball, but the spear in his chest wouldn't allow that. Inu suddenly felt very warm and realized with horror it was because his own blood was pooling around his body.   
  
The falling of blows abruptly stopped and the circle of men parted to reveal a large man carrying an even larger sword. Inu lie helpless on the ground, twisted to the side because of the spear in his back and helpless from pain and loss of blood, staring up at the big man. The man raised his sword in executioner style above Inu's head. Inu stared up at the way the rain glistened as it ran down the blade, then fainted.   
  
Please Reveiw me, or I won't write any more. Nah!  
  
(Please, Please, Please, Please) 


	3. Ch 3

A dark figure seemed to fly out of the woods and up to the man who towered over the unconscious little hanyou. Using only a small dagger, he sliced the man's throat, readying himself for the next attack before the man even fell. The group of men, stunned into paralysis at the first appearance of this stranger, now scattered. Taking on a baby hanyou was one thing, taking on some unknown creature taller and possibly stronger than them that seemed to fly through the forest, well, that was quite another.  
  
The rain and the panic of the man gave the stranger a shadow-like appearance, he seemed to simply disappear then reappear with deadly speed. Two more men fell, their throats sliced open by the stranger's dagger. In fear and panic, one man began to shoot off his arrows blindly. Most didn't even come close to the target, but one shot seemed to have a certain luck with it, for it put a scratch through the strangers upper arm. The stranger looked at the wound slowly and deliberately, the man who shot the arrow began to shake with an instinctive fear. Suddenly, the stranger appeared in front of the man and grabbed his shoulder in one hand and his wrist in the other. There was a ripping sound as the stranger tore the man's arm off with sheer strength, then reached up and snapped the man's neck.   
  
Returning to the use of his blade, the stranger quickly hunted down and beheaded the four remaining men, anger still coursing through his veins. Once that was finished, he quickly went around to all the men Inu had knocked out or injured that were lying on the ground and killed them, silently. Then and only then did he sheath his knife and turn his attention to the dying hanyou before him.   
  
For his age, he had put up quite a fight, the stranger reflected, he took out seven of them on his own.  
  
The stranger tore away Inu's shirt, seeing no other way of getting it around the spear, and examined his wounds. The spear wound was by far the worst. Judging by it's position and the amount of blood on the ground, the stranger guessed that it had missed his heart and lungs but had broken his ribs and caused internal bleeding. The stranger quickly assessed the boy's other wounds. His face was bruising from the beating he took and the arrow was still in his side, plus his arm was twisted horrible and had to be broken. One quick jerk brings the arrow out of Inu's side, along with a yelp of pain from the unconscious boy. The other wounds would have to wait until later and the break couldn't be set until he had a straight piece of wood to hold it in place, no use setting it just to have it move again.   
  
Inu, still solidly unconscious, was picked up by the stranger and held before him. Bracing Inu under his arm, the stranger removed the spear by breaking off the back and pushing it the rest of the way through, since the tip was barbed and would have cause more damage if pulled out. Even in his unconscious state, Inu couldn't help but scream as the spear slid out of his body, the stranger did nothing to stop him. There was a fresh surge of blood from the wound and the stranger used his own coat to staunch the flow, but the wound still bled profusely. The young hanyou looked even smaller as his body lost color as it lost blood and began to convulse. The stranger pinned Inu to the ground as his small body began to spasm wildly under his hands.   
  
The stranger realized what must be done, but he doesn't like it.   
  
Suddenly, the boy's body jerked in another spasm and he turned to the side, spewing blood from his mouth. Inu lay on his back again and, amazingly, opened his eyes. Inu didn't feel any pain and wondered if he has died, but when he opened his eyes to see the forest once again he knew he had not. He wondered who the shadowy figure above him is, but his eyes are too tired to focus enough to see more than the outline of his face.   
  
Inu watched with an unattached sense as the man brought his wrist up to his mouth and tore away the skin with one quick bite. Blood rolled down the stranger's sleeve as Inu watched now with curiosity. The man gently picked up Inu's head and brought his wrist to Inu's mouth. Inu jerked his head away, refusing to drink the blood.   
  
Though half demon, Inu's mother had been human and the thought of drinking the blood of anyone like her made him sick. Inu had simply decided at a young age that he would never drink human blood and he never had. Now, with his mother's death, Inu wanted less than ever to drink human blood and break the silent vow he had made to his mother.   
  
But the stranger didn't know this and it is doubtful that he would have cared. Seeing the hanyou's resistance, he placed his wrist on the boy's lips.   
  
"If you don't drink, you'll die," he whispered, not completely sure that the boy could hear him. The blood was hot and stung Inu's lips as he tried to keep them sealed shut, but some must have gotten through, because Inu suddenly felt a yearning take hold of him. The blood was there on his lips, running down his chin, and he wanted it more than anything, but still he tried desperately to keep himself from drinking it.   
  
Willing the boy to cooperate, the stranger reached up and tore open the wound on his wrist more, causing a fresh surge of blood to run over the hanyou's mouth. With a wild surrender, Inu grasped the wrist with his good hand and latched onto it with his mouth, only to jerk his head away a moment later.   
  
"It burns," he hissed as the blood stung his mouth and burned is tongue. The stranger seemed surprised for a moment, then seemed to understand.   
  
"Yes," he said, "yes, of course it does. But that doesn't matter, it will go away and you must drink!"  
  
In silent agreement, Inu grabbed the man's wrist and lapped at the blood again. The pain didn't matter to Inu anymore, only the all consuming thirst for the blood that was running out of this man.  
  
The man settled himself down on the ground next to Inu and readied himself for a long wait. Inu drank his fill and tried to pull away, but the man gripped his jaw and silently shook his head, leaving his wrist in Inu's mouth. Inu drifted in and out of consciousness, his body remembering to swallow even when he was not awake. The rain slowed to a drizzle, then stopped. A few hours later, the man finally removed his wrist from the boy's mouth and re-inspected the boy's wounds. The hole from the spear was gone, replaced by a huge, discolored bruise and the remaining broken arm and ribs. The boy was not yet out of danger, as moving within the next two or three days could cause one of the broken ribs to poke a hole in a vital organ.   
  
The stranger sighed, he had not bargained for staying with the pup a week or so, but he had wanted to assess the boy's skills and knew that he had to take responsibility for not intervening before the boy was hurt.   
  
While drinking the stranger's blood, Inu had somehow ended up halfway across his lap. Now shirtless and wet, he shivered in the cold that the storm had brought. Gently, the stranger lifted the boy in his lap and began to carry him to a shelter not far away. He knew that the boy would need more treatment than he had received and also that he himself would need to sleep off the loss of blood, but most importantly, he knew that the boy was still not safe anywhere near humans. 


	4. Ch 4

Inu awoke in a bed that he did not recognize in a house that he had never seen before. Slowly, he drifted out of his unconscious state, but he regretted it. Every breath hurt and his entire body felt as though there were a thousand tiny knives in it, every movement drove them deeper.   
  
The room was empty and Inu struggled to sit up using his good arm, causing his vision to blur and his head to become dizzy. He almost toppled out of the bed, but managed to regain his balance. The room was small and smelled of mildew, but the fire burning in the hearth kept it warm and cozy. Inu looked down and saw that he was in someone else's shirt that hung down passed his knees. He lifted the shirt and looked at the horrible bruise on his chest. He could have sworn that a spear went through there... Gingerly, he touched the bruise. The pain knocked him back down on the bed. Where he lie for several minutes trying not to cry out loud.   
  
There was the sound of a door opening and footsteps, Inu struggled to turn his head and see this new person. Inu didn't recognized the stranger who had found him before.   
  
How did I survive? Inu wondered. Did this human save me? Why? What are they planning to do with me?  
  
The man had short black hair that shined and looked almost like silk. He was dressed all in black and purple and his eyes were a light amber color. He had pale, porcelain skin that seemed to shine with health and life.   
  
The man approached the bed and Inu shrank back as much as he could in his condition, still wary of humans especially since his last encounter with them. The man knelt down silently and placed a hand on Inu's forehead. Inu winced slightly, but managed to hide it. Inu scanned the man's face for any sign of hostility and tried to figure out what was going on, bu the man's face was expressionless.   
  
Swiftly, the man removed his hand and stood, walking over to bundle on the floor near the fire. Inu's heart was racing with anxiousness and fear. Perhaps the man planned to torture? But what for? For fun? For pleasure?  
  
Inu shivered at the though and tried to keep his teeth from chattering. He was cold, colder than he had ever felt before. Even with the fire in the hearth and the large shirt around him, he was very cold. And tired, his eyes kept slipping half closed of their own will, even though Inu desperately wanted to stay awake in case of danger.  
  
Inu felt something warm slip over him and jumped, causing himself to yelp in pain. He looked up to see the man in black slipping a blanket over him. The man stared at him in surprise for a moment, then finished tucking the blanket around Inu's rigid form.   
  
This only served to confuse Inu even more and he let out a small growl of frustration.   
  
Why didn't this guy just get it over with? Why wouldn't he just kill me and be done with it?  
  
Inu opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a squeak. His entire mouth hurt and he quickly closed it and forced back the tears the pain caused.   
  
How did that happen?  
  
Inu thought back and remembered something about blood and a lot of burning in his mouth, something to do with this man. Inu tried again, ignoring the pain, to talk to the stranger.   
  
"W-who are you?" Inu managed to whisper. He was glad the man was so close, he wouldn't have been able to hear him any further away. The man seemed to consider a moment, then spoke.   
  
"You may call me Seth. Now, sleep," the man said in a voice that left no room for argument. Inu opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced with a finger over his lips.   
  
"Good night," Seth said as Inu felt his eyes slip closed and, despite his best efforts, he slipped into sleep. 


	5. Author Note

Ok, guys, I was reading over some of my own chapters in this story and i think that my not going on and on in my disclaimer has made me sound kind of stuck up. (Although I'm pretty sure some of you out there are going, "Shut up and get on with the story already!") Anyway, if you don't like me, and you don't want to hear me go on and on, just skip over this page.   
  
This stuff has very little if anything to do with the story, this is just me on a sugar high with writers block.   
  
I did have two very important things to say.  
  
1: just so that I don't disappoint anyone, Seth is a character from the series going by a different name.  
  
2: Seth is not Inu's father. He's dead. And I don't know his name, so he's not in this one.  
  
3: Seth is WAY out of character. I mean, he is NOTHING like his older self, but we really don't know that much about his older self...so...you know.   
  
Anway, just enjoy the story and stop worrying about who Seth is (that's my job. *Bites Nails* How do I get myself into these messes?)  
  
Oh, and a big thanks to Breshcandra and Silver Hyper Pikechu! I soooo need reveiws, they give me a good boot to the a** to make me get going.  
  
Thanks.  
  
P.S.  
  
No, I'm not mean enough to put up a note without giving you another chapter. Don't you hate when people do that? 


	6. Ch 5

When Inu next awoke he heard the pitter-patter of the rain falling against the roof. The room was dimly lit by the fire and it seemed that Inu had been asleep for hours, though he did not know the actual time.   
  
Seth was sitting in front of the fire, his hair drying from a recent venture outside. There were a pile of fresh herbs beside him and the scent wafted to Inu. Inu recognized them, but couldn't seem to remember what they were for. To get a better look at them, Inu tried to sit up by ignoring the pain in his chest and pushing himself up with his good arm. However, the movement attracted Seth's attention and Seth spun around and stood up in one swift motion. Within seconds he was towering over the pup.   
  
"Don't move. Your ribs haven not mended yet and your arm is not set. Too much movement and you will die," Seth stated, glaring down at Inu. Inu shrank back, realizing how vulnerable he really was. Inu swallowed and glared back at Seth, then out of pure spite, he began to sit up again.   
  
Seth's expression darkened and he placed one hand on Inu's collar bone, pinning him ot the bed. Inu struggled against the hand on his chest even though it caused his chest to hurt and his vision to blur. Still, he struggled futilely against the other man. Inu felt his strength slip away and finally, he gave up.   
  
Seth felt the small body beneith him go lax without warning. He looked down into Inu's half closed eyes, bead's of sweat were slipping down the pup's face. Seth pulled back his hand, wondering how the pup had managed to struggle so much when obviously in os much pain. Suddenly, Inu stomach growled loudly.   
  
"I'm hungry," Inu whimpered before he could stop himself. Seth nodded.   
  
"Go back to sleep. I'll bring you something to eat a little later," Seth said, surprising Inu. He hadn't really expected to be fed, being a prisoner and all. Too tired to care, Inu let sleep claim him and his broken body.   
  
Inu slipped in and out of sleep for the next few hours, but was too weary to notice anything happening around him. Not that anything did happen, just Seth grinding up the herbs and bringing in some fish to put in a soup.   
  
Seth gently prodded Inu awake when he finished his herbs. Inu moaned and tried to raise his arms, yelping as he moved his broken one. Seth waited until the pain in Inu's expression faded before getting his attention.   
  
"Open your mouth," Seth instructed. Emotions of surprise and wariness played across Inu's face as his jaws tightened reflexively. Seth remained emotionless and put said nothing.   
  
Inu didn't trust Seth, but he realized that he was at the man's mercy.  
  
What is he planning? Inu wondered. Drugs? Poison? What's this guy after?  
  
Forcing his jaws to relax, Inu slowly opened his mouth. Seth picked up a small bowl of ground herb paste and knelt by Inu, who's body was rigid with fear, putting his finger into the paste.  
  
"Don't move and don't swallow," Seth instructed. Inu's eyes narrowed in anger.   
  
He's playing a game with me! Inu thought with rage, but remained motionless. Seth took his finger, covered in the green paste, and slipped it into Inu's mouth. He smeared it over Inu's tongue and gums, all the places where the blood had burned. Inu grasped the bedframe as he struggled to keep from moving through the pain in his mouth. Suddenly, not thinking straight through all the pain, Inu thought of a way to get Seth back for all the pain he was causing.   
  
A strange emotion flashed through Inu's eyes and Seth was barely able to recognize it. He reacted before he could think, grabbing the pups chin and pressing down on the pressure points in his jaw, just as Inu was about to snap his mouth shut, bitting of Seth's fingers. While Seth's attention was on keeping Inu from bitting off his finger, the finger he had in Inu's mouth slipped and pressed down on Inu's tongue. Pain surged through Inu's mouth, he yipped and grabbed Seth's arm, but was unable to do anything more. The two locked eyes and stood there, neither willing to give an inch. Slowly, a battle for dominence raged between the two without any movement. Slowly, what little strength Inu still had failed and he let his hand slip from Seth's arm. Seth had won.   
  
Inu lie on the bed unmoving, certain that he would be killed now. However, Seth simply continued to treat Inu's mouth as if nothing had happened. Without the strength to move, Inu simply lay there and allowed Seth to do whatever he wanted. Again, Inu realized that he was at the other's mercy, and it scared him. After what seemed to be hours of silence, Seth finished and rose to his feet.   
  
"Lie still and don't swallow that paste," he instructed, then left Inu's side. Too tired to even turn his head, Inu lay there trying hard not to swallow. Which wasn't easy, since his mouth was beginning to tingle and he couldn't tell if the paste was running down his throat or not. The paste was bitter, but not horrible in taste. It was strange, Inu knew he tasted it before, but he couldn't for the life of him remember where. Inu began to nod of again, but Seth gently shook him awake. If the boy nodded off he would reflexively swallow the paste in his mouth and die.   
  
After about half an hour, Seth went to Inu's bed and gently turned Inu on his side. Though it caused him considerable pain, Inu didn't make a sound. Seth held the bowl next to Inu's face, but Inu wasn't sure of what to do.   
  
"Spit it out," was all Seth said. Inu looked up at Seth, who was gently holding him so that he didn't fall off the bed, then spit the green paste into he bowl and washed his mouth out with the water Seth gave him. Seth then leaned the boy against the wall so that he was sitting and walked over to the fire. Inu cleared his throat and found that his mouth no longer hurt nearly as much as it had.   
  
"What was that?" Inu asked, unable to keep the question from bursting out.   
  
"Aloe, mainly," Seth answered. Inu instantly recognized the plant as a powerful burn healer, his mother had used it on her skin when he was younger to keep her fair complection from burning.   
  
Deep in thought, Inu didn't notice Seth's movement's until he was hovering beside Inu. Inu opened his mouth to ask another question, only to have the edge of a bowl put in it. In surprise, Inu raised his good arm and grasped the edge of the bowl, as Seth slowly poured the warm broth into Inu's mouth. Inu swallowed quickly and finished the bowl, with Seth's help. Once finished, Seth pushed Inu back to a lying position. Drained yet sated, Inu instantly fell asleep.   
  
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	7. Ch 6

______________________________________________________________________________  
  
Seth sighed and got to his feet, then exited the small hut. Once outside, he breathed in the cool night air. It had been two days since he had brought the small pup to this place. Seth disliked being cooped up inside watching over the boy, but there was no else to do it and the pup needed almost constant supervision, lest he accidentally hurt himself. However, Seth now had an excuse to escape to the outside. He was in need of more herbs and straight sticks to set Inu's arm with. Seth had put off setting the arm long enough and knew that if there was much more delay he would have to rebreak the arm to set it. That would most certainly not go over well with Inu, since the boy didn't trust him that much in the first place.   
  
Not that he had given him any reason to. Inu had been unconscious through the end of the battle and couldn't remember being given blood or carried to the house, not that this surprised Seth.   
  
Seth set off at a speed that no human could ever reach and circled the vicinity of the house. Checking for anyone who might attack Inu while he was away and finding no one, Seth then set off for the rocky edges of the high hills. At the speed he was going at it only took an hour to gather everything he needed and return to the hut, where Inu was still soundly asleep.   
  
Seth put the herbs in a pot over the fire then could only wait for them to boil. He sat down beside Inu, staring at his sleep-relaxed face.   
  
How innocent and peaceful he looks. Does he even know how weak and vulnerable he is? How is he ever going to survive being all alone? Seth thought as he sat there.   
  
Soon, the herbs were ready and Seth gently prodded Inu awake, ever mindful of the boy's broken body. The hanyou opened his eyes and yawned. He was startled when a mug was thrust into his hands.   
  
"Drink," Seth instructed. Inu sniffed the cup and wrinkled his nose, he didn't recognize these herbs at all and it smelled too sweet to be a medicine.   
  
"What is it?" he asked suspiciously.   
  
"Medicine."  
  
"It doesn't smell like medicine to me."  
  
"It will make you sleep."  
  
"I can sleep well enough on my own, why do I need this crap?"  
  
"I'm going to set your arm, this will keep you asleep while I do it," Seth said, his patience wearing thin. Inu eyed the liquid, then turned his head away.  
  
"No thanks. I'm good without it," Inu said handing it back, a frown on his face daring Seth to try and make him drink it. Seth sighed, he was done playing childish games with the pup. If he didn't want to be asleep while he had his broken arm set, that was fine, but he'd regret it later.   
  
Seth took the mug and set it aside, then picked up Inu and laid him on the floor. He pulled off the oversized shirt Inu was wearing so that he could get at the broken arm and knelt beside Inu.   
  
The now naked Inu lay on the floor, fear coursing through his body. Inu blushed at his own nakedness, then randomly wondered what Seth was going to do to him. All the things that Seth could do rose in Inu's mind, mainly thoughts of torture and rape. Inu knew things like this happened because he had lived on the streets and had been attacked by both humans and demons before. He had always been strong enough to defend himself before.  
  
Well, except for the last time...  
  
Thoughts of roving hands and pain flew through his mind as he remembered the one demon he hadn't been strong enough to fight. That demon was the reason he had fled so quickly to place without demons, he was wary of them now, he didn't want a repeat incident. Not after that one had been so horrible. His eyes dilated in panic too strong for him to even move. He began to shiver in fear. Above him, Seth watched this change and wondered what in the world had caused it.  
  
"Inu Yasha," he said gently. Inu seemed to snap back, his eyes focused, but the shivers got worse. Inu swallowed hard.   
  
"W-what are you going to do to me?" he asked in a pathetic voice. Seth frowned.  
  
"I'm going to set your arm. Do you want to sleep?" Seth asked nodding toward the mug. Inu's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. Seth sighed, but figured it would be better not to force the issue.   
  
Seth leaned forward and placed one knee on Inu's belly right below the bruise, pinning him to the ground. Inu squirmed beneath him, but was no match for the bigger man. Seth leaned down and took Inu's shoulder in one hand and his wrist in the other. Then he pulled.   
  
Inu threw back his head and screamed, but was unable to get away since he was pinned to the floor. Inu continued to scream as the pressure on his arm increased, only to end with a loud snap. The pressure on his arm abruptly faded and Inu lie there panting as Seth immobilized his arm with the stick and pieces of leather.   
  
When he was finished, Seth pulled a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around Inu, who was hiccuping slightly. Then he pulled Inu into his lap. Inu's body went rigid at first, but he was too drained to stay that way and he soon leaned against the other's soft skin. Seth was warm and smelled like the forest, the same way Inu's father had.   
  
But father is also dead, Inu reminded himself, and you're just an orphan hanyou. You can't trust anyone! Inu told himself, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to believe it. There had to be someone out there he could trust. Inu looked up at Seth, who was deep in thought. Then, without warning, Seth spoke.   
  
"What happened to you?" Seth asked. Inu felt himself turn red when he realized Seth was referring to the scene he had made earlier. Seth probably thought he was a coward.  
  
"Nothing," Inu denied.  
  
"You were raped," Seth replied, leaving the statement open for Inu to elaborate. Inu gasped, then swallowed.  
  
"I-I was walking through the woods, it was bright and sunny early spring. Suddenly, something grabbed me from behind, covered my eyes, and dragged me into a cave. It was a female cat-demon. She dragged me into a room and moved this huge boulder in front of the door so that I couldn't get out. Then she took off all of her clothes. I just stood there since I didn't know what she was doing. When she came toward me I backed away and tried to run, but she was faster. She slammed me against the floor and pulled my clothes off and... and..." Inu started sobbing as Seth pressed him against his chest and wrapped his arms around him protectively.   
  
Seth knew that should have never happened, and it wouldn't have if Inu had a family to protect him.   
  
"D-do you think she made little bastard puppy-kittens with me?" Inu asked, teary eyed and scared. He was no where near ready to father children. Seth almost smiled.   
  
"No, you're far too young for that."  
  
"Does it happen a lot?"  
  
"No, it wouldn't have happened at all if not for your demon blood."  
  
"Do all full demons do that...to kids?" he asked, needing to understand why it had happened. Seth knew that his questions would not stop until he had a reasonable explanation.   
  
"No, female demons almost never get to do that to kids, because young demons don't leave their mother until they can protect themselves or they're ready to do that sort of thing. Demon mothers are one of the most powerful beings alive, nothing will mess with a mother protecting her pup. But the cat demon had probably been watching you for a very long time and knew you couldn't defend yourself. She must have been desperate to choose someone so young, since demons always go for the most powerful mate. However, females in heat lose all sense of reality and will attack any male in the vicinity. You were just unfortunate, most pups your age would not be allowed out of their mother's sight in the spring months, when the females come into heat."   
  
There was silence after Seth finished speaking, as Inu digested what he had heard. It made sense to him and he realized that he wouldn't have anything to fear once the spring months were over.   
  
Seth, on the other hand, was not nearly so at ease. More than ever he realized how vulnerable Inu was to demon attacks. And how lucky the little hanyou was. The demon that attacked him was probably a very young female, most likely her first time in heat, and hadn't really known what to do herself. For a more experienced female, the process of mating might have gone on for days and it would have been a power struggle all the way, one Inu would not have walked away from unscathed. Seth knew that he would have to teach the hanyou a little about fighting before he left. 


	8. Ch 7

___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Seth felt Inu's head drop against him as the exhausted pup finally drifted off to sleep. Quickly making a decision, Seth picked Inu up and laid him on the bed. Seth turned around and headed for the door. He had a quick little errand that he needed to run. But a hand on his sleeve stopped him. He turned to the pup on the bed who he had thought asleep. Inu was able to barely force his eyes open and look at Seth with innocent little puppy eyes.  
  
"Where ya goin?" Inu mumbled sleepily.  
  
"I'll be back soon," Seth told him.  
  
"Don't go. Please. Just stay a little longer..." Inu said worried but too exhausted to raise his voice. After all he had been through, Seth could understand his wish not to be alone. Heaving a sigh and resigning himself to waiting until Inu was asleep to leave, Seth sat at the top of the bed. He took Inu's hand, which had still been grasping his sleeve, and held it while he ran the other through the pup's tangled hair.  
  
Bath, tomorrow. Seth promised himself seeing how much dirt was in the boy's hair. The last thing he needed was fleas.   
  
It only took a few minutes for Inu's breathing to steady into the rhythm of sleep. Seth gently pulled his hand away and rose, so as not to wake Inu. He then quietly slipped out of the house and into the night air.   
  
Again he set off at an impossible speed, first circling the house then heading off to the place where he had found Inu. He was there in minutes and began sniffing around to find Inu's hideout. Carefully he checked the few scratches made in the dirt and trees that not washed away in the days since the battle. He finally found the cave after spotting the numerous claw marks in the rock face. Seth stepped back and took on leap, shooting himself up the rockface and to the entrance of the cave. Once inside Seth first noticed how little the pup had been carrying, only clothes on his back and a blanket, which was good, since a traveling demon shouldn't need lots of things anyway.  
  
Seth moved to the back of the cave and knelt, picking up the small clothes that were lying over a straw bed. He picked up the shirt in his fist and brought it up to his face, sniffing it. Several different scents filled his nose. Most strong was the scent of Inu, then the cent of dirt and sweat. The faintest scent was the one Seth was hoping to find, the scent of a female demon. Seth quickly memorized the scent and stored it in the back of his mind, he would need it later.   
  
Seth rose and gathered up the clothes and eyed the torn blankets before leaving them behind. He could give the pup new blankets if he needed them that badly. With that resolution, Seth walked to the mouth of the cave and jumped out, running at the inhuman speed as soon as he hit the ground.   
  
The first thing Seth did when he got back to the hut was throw the clothes into a pot of boiling water. They were filthy and probably hadn't been washed in months. Which was a problem that Seth knew he would have to rectify. Teaching a young hanyou basic sanitary lessons wasn't going to be easy, but it was better that letting him grow up to be a slob.   
  
Seth looked over at Inu, who was still sleeping peacefully. He'd probably be back to his normal self tomorrow. Seth knew that the only reason his arm hadn't healed before was because it wasn't set right and the bruise on his chest was quickly fading. Plus, there was going to be a full moon tonight, which would give the pup the added strength he would need to heal his arm properly. He'd be sore for a while and he'd still be pretty weak, but he was healing fast.   
  
Finished with washing the clothes, Seth's gaze wondered over to Inu, deeply asleep in the bed. One tiny clawed hand clutched the pillow, while the other was under the pillow in an almost hugging fashion. His chest rose and fell in even breathing, causing a few stray hairs to waft lazily back and forth on the breeze it made. Silently, Seth rose and walked across the room, kneeling in front of Inu and pushing the stray hairs out of his face. Inu didn't even stir.   
  
So innocent...so vulnerable...how has this little one managed to stay alive? Fate? Luck? How much longer until his luck fades and fates changes her course? I want to protect him, but I should kill him. He's a half-breed, an insult to his father's name. How do I protect him and destroy him at once? I should never have interfered, then I wouldn't be in this situation. I am weak.   
  
Not knowing the internal conflict Seth was having, Inu stirred in his sleep and moved closer to Seth, placing his head against Seth's palm. Inu sniffed warily, his sleep relaxed face frowning slightly as his demon instincts kicked in, then relaxed realizing it was someone he trusted. Inu, still asleep, nuzzled Seth's palm and brought his own hand away from the pillow to clasp Seth's. This demonstration of faith, trust, and innocence touched Seth.  
  
For a second, Seth stared passed Inu at the full moon now rising in the sky. The silvery light gently caressed Inu's face and made his skin look almost porcelain.  
  
So innocent and beautiful, so pure. I can't stay with him, I can't protect him. He'll die if he doesn't learn to fend for himself.   
  
I guess I'll just have to train him to fight. Father's name can rot in hell.   
  
Sighing, Seth walked out the door and into the moonlight.  
  
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	9. Ch 8

The full moon affected dog demons the same way it did wolves, pulling them out and making them stronger. The canine demons were helpless to avoid the feeling of strength they got from the full moon just as they couldn't help the feeling of weakness they gained at the new moon.   
  
It affected hanyou Inu Yasha the same way, as his ears suddenly twitched, waking him from his sleep, and his eyes opened. Inu sat up, ignoring the pain over the of the pull that seemed to be drawing him out of the house almost against his will. He slowly got up and walked to the door, barely able to push it open and slide through. Inu stared up at the moon with wide-eyed innocence. He could never remember the moon looking so beautiful and shiny. It was like a pearl, the small dark spots that littered it's surface seemed like the milky shine of the pearl, and it even seemed to take on the texture of a pearl, glossy and smooth.   
  
A sudden urge to get higher came to him and Inu looked around for a high place to go. He spotted some trees surrounding the house, but they were all to high for him to jump in his sleepy and injured form. Sighing, Inu decided that he might as well try to get up the side of the house, which wouldn't be easy, since he was too fatigued to jump that high and couldn't climb with one arm in a cast. Inu climbed up a wood pile next to the house, then grabbed a hold of the wood boards of the house as best he could, trying to pull himself up. He dug his feet into the boards and let go to try and get a higher hold. Unfortunately, his toe-hold wasn't that great and he began to fall backwards.   
  
It was then that he remembered Seth's warning, "Too much movement and you'll die."  
  
I'm going to die, Inu thought in an almost detached sort of way.  
  
Suddenly, a hand darted out of no where and grabbed his good wrist, yanking him onto the roof. Inu found himself staring up at a placid Seth from Seth's lap. Blinking, Inu wondered what Seth was doing on the roof at this time of night when a breeze came up and he shivered. Looking down at the pup with a bit of a smirk, Seth removed his shirt and wrapped it around Inu. It was only then that Inu realized he had been naked the whole time. Feeling a bit embarrassed for running around in front of a man he had known for about a week naked Inu blushed, even though he realized there was no need to, since Seth had obviously seen him naked before.   
  
Inu stole a glance at Seth, only to see that Seth was staring avidly up at the moon and the stars. Inu too looked up at the moon, and felt his breath steal away at its beauty. Inu sat there watching the moon for a long time, so long in fact, that he wasn't even aware when he drifted off to sleep.   
  
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	10. Ch 9

Inu awoke the next morning in his own bed. At first he thought he might have dreamed the whole episode from last night, but when he sat up he found Seth's shirt drape over him. Seth was still asleep on his pallet near the wall. Knowing that Seth probably stayed up the whole night, Inu got up and put on the over-sized shirt of Seth's, then went outside to pee. He was grateful that he was feeling so much better, since before he had to have Seth carry him outside and wait for him to pee before taking him back inside. It was nice to be able to do that for himself again.   
  
Inu went back inside once he was done. He just stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do. Seth, still lying on his pallet, opened one eyes, looked at Inu, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Definitely not a morning person. So Inu was left to do pretty much whatever he wanted. He wasn't used to having spare time, since he had lived on his own for so long and he had always had something to do. He decided just to go for a walk outside. It felt good to be able to stretch his legs and he decided that he should walk to the stream and see if there were any fish left. He started his walk, humming slightly to himself.   
  
Seth woke a few hours later, yawning and stretching before rising and setting to work at breakfast. He wasn't surprised to see that Inu had left, but he hoped that the pup had been smart enough to stay close and not try to exert himself too much. When breakfast was done and there was no sign of Inu, Seth began to worry. Not being much for just sitting around and waiting for things to happen, Seth got up and followed Inu's scent down the path. It wasn't long before he found the pup, more than a mile down the road. He had, apparently, exerted himself far to much. He was curled up underneath a tree completely asleep.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________________  
  
Withy a gentle sigh of reprimand, Seth picked up the small bundle and trotted back to the hut and their waiting lunch.   
  
Inu woke soon after being lifted and gently opened his eyes. He was not surprised to find himself being carried by Seth. He stretched and yawned widely in the man's arms, then gave him a smile only a child could give before wiggling out of his arms and onto the ground. After stretching again, Inu took Seth's hand in his own and began to skip his way down the path, both in order to keep up with Seth's long strides and to rid himself of some unwanted extra energy. Inu realized that he hadn't felt this good in a long time, not sense his mother died. Strangely, not even that thought had the power to dampen his mood  
  
They reached the house far too soon for both Inu and Seth, though for different reasons. Inu had been humming while watching the birds fly by, wanting to jump at them but hiding this embarrassing fact from Seth. Seth, on the other hand, had been watching Inu as he twitched every time a bird passed by. Seth had barely been able to keep from laughing as the boy fought a losing battle against his instincts for his pride and was half tempted to tell the boy to just go ahead, but the boy needed to learn some restraint. Chasing bird was something only very young pups did in order to learn hunting skills, however it was admittedly adorable.   
  
This string of thoughts brought him around to the fact that Inu had probably never been able to chase birds and learn hunting skills as a pup. A lack of other children like him and a human aversion to his kind had probably given him a rather lonely childhood.   
  
Much like yours, some part of Seth's mind stated, but was swiftly silenced.  
  
By the end of the walk it was plain to see that Inu had lost some of his energy. He seemed to be able to go from hyper to exhausted in a matter of seconds, but Seth guest that this was just another thing he didn't know small children did. Regardless, Seth knew it wasn't good for Inu to walk until he was falling down tired the day after his injuries had healed. Seth cursed himself for his lapse in watchfulness, but there was nothing he could do about it now.   
  
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	11. Ch 10

__  
  
They reached the house and both began to eat, Seth having two bowls and Inu having eight to make up for energy lost in his recovery. After Inu finished his meal, Seth calmly picked him up and carried him inside. Inu struggled a but in Seth's grasp, unaccustomed to being lavished with attention. However he settled down when he found that he was no match for Seth's strength and buried himself in Seth's shirt for the short walk inside the house. Once inside, Seth gently laid Inu on the bed and pulled the cover over him. Inu opened his eyes that seemed to have slid shut on the way and looked at the bed. He frowned even though he could only keep his eyes half open.  
  
"Hey!" Inu yelped, "I just had a nap! I don't wanna sleep again!"  
  
"You need to rest to recover from your injuries," Seth said, remaining calm toward the grumpy child.   
  
"I'm not a baby! I..."  
  
"No, you're not a baby, but you are a child and you haven't been properly taking care of yourself. You should never have tried to walk so far after such large injuries. Now go to sleep," Seth told Inu. His voice remained calm, but his eyes revealed anger that was actually more at himself than at the boy.   
  
But Inu didn't know that and he was desperately trying to hold back tears.   
  
"A-are you mad at me?" Inu asked, a small catch was at the end of his voice, but he tried to hide it. Seth looked at the face of Inu, who was deliberately looking away from him in shame, and his eyes softened. He sat down next to Inu and slide over to his side, wrapping an arm around him.   
  
"No, I'm not angry at you. I'm mad at myself, I should have stopped you from leaving."  
  
"It was my fault. I should have known better, I should have..."  
  
"You're just a pup. Nothing good is ever going to come of blaming yourself for everything. You can't control what happens around you, but you can control what happens to you."  
  
"M-my mother used to say that Fate can only control objects and occurrences, if you don't let the things around you get you down, she has no power over you. Is that what you mean?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"...I think she was wrong, my mother."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"She never let material things get her down, then Fate took her anyway. And it did get me down. I miss her so much."  
  
There was a pause, Where Seth tried to find the words to comfort the pup. Seth still had one arm wrapped around Inu and Inu's head was pillowed on his chest. Seth tried to find words of consolation for the death of a loved one, but found none. Still, something had to be said.   
  
"I don't know what to say to you, Inu Yasha. I can't tell you that you stop missing her or the pain will go away, because I've never felt it before."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I've never gotten close to anyone. My parents were forced into marriage. My father was a powerful lord and my mother had a good bloodline. My father needed an acceptable heir and my mother needed a husband. There was never any love lost between the two. When I was born I was immediately give into the care of nurses and then tutors.   
  
"From the time I was able to walk and talk I was trained to be a leader, a lord. Because my tutors rapidly came and went, and because all the other children were too afraid of my father and the rumors about me to get close, I never made connections with people.   
  
"By the time my father did notice me I was already too deeply emerged in drowning out my pain in fighting and hurting others for me to bond with him. He went off and found himself another wife and had another son, my half brother. I wanted to resent his other wife and son, but the wife was too kind and the son was too innocent and pure.   
  
"But I hated father. Hated him for having another son. Hated him for forgetting about me. Hated him for putting this burden on my shoulders. By the end, I think he hated me too.   
  
"My mother died at some point in my teenage life. I wasn't even told it happened until four months later. I felt nothing, I barely knew the woman, I just knew that I had one less annoyance to put up with. Father went a few years later. Nothing. No feelings. Not even regret. I just didn't care.  
  
"After my father's death I held a ceremony and was supposed to take over my father's duties, but I had been running them for so long now that it was like nothing had changed. That's what scared me. Nothing had changed. I had at least thought that when father died something would happen, something would be different, but nothing was. So I decided to leave. This did not go over well with my servants, though I should almost call them my guards for how much they try to dictate what to do. I finally conceded to take one advisor with me, whom I abruptly ditched, and went off to find something."  
  
Seth looked down at Inu, who had been staring at him wide-eyed like he was telling some kind of bedtime story.   
  
"What were you looking for?" Inu asked innocently.  
  
"My half-brother. I was going to kill him."  
  
"Why? I thought you liked him?"  
  
"I do, but he's an insult to my father's name. As his heir I'm not supposed to let him live."  
  
"That's not a very good answer," Inu said a little huffily. Seth smiled slightly.   
  
"You're right, it's not the only reason. I have two more. First, is that when he gets older he will try and kill me to take my father's title."  
  
"He might not."  
  
"Yes, he will. And even if he doesn't I can't take that risk. I simply can't, it goes against what I've been trained in all my life, it's not logical. I was taught to get people when they are weak, I can't wait for him to grow up, I've got to kill him now. The other reason is a bit more simple. Father left him a sword. He can't have it. It's mine."  
  
"Why would your father leave the sword to him if it's yours?"  
  
"Because he hated me. Because he wants to make things hard for me. This isn't the first time he's done something like this to me."  
  
"What about your brother? Are you still going to kill him?"  
  
"......"  
  
"You should at least talk to him first, let him understand why you're going to kill him."  
  
"He's still to young to understand."  
  
"I'm young and I understand. You should talk to him."  
  
"It will just make things more painful."  
  
Inu gave a sort of hmm noise as he drifted to sleep on Seth's shoulder. Gently, Seth lifted Inu's head and placed it on the pillow, then slid off the bed and walked to the door. Seth halted at the door and looked back at the bed with soft, sad eyes.   
  
"No, I could never kill my baby brother, but I am going to hurt him worse than he's ever been hurt before."  
  
A plan had already begun forming in Seth's mind. The weight of what he was going to have to do sat heavily on his chest. In a few more days, Inu would be fully healed and Seth would put his plan into action.   
  
He prayed to some unknown god for forgiveness for the very first time, and he hated himself.   
  
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	12. Ch 11

When Inu awoke, the first thing he noticed was that Seth was gone. Not that he was surprised, since Seth was continually slipping in and out of the hut, but he was a little lonely and, loathe as he was to admit it, scared. He had come to rely on this man that was the closest thing he had to family right now. And he was horribly frightened that he would just leave him alone without a single word.   
  
Inu was just about to jump out of bed and look for him, when Seth stumbled through the door. Inu was so relieved that he didn't notice that Seth was carrying a large tub or the buckets of water on the floor. Inu Sighed and closed his eyes as Seth poured the water in the basin.   
  
A moment later, Inu found himself being lifted in the air and carried to the basin.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?" Inu asked.   
  
"Bath," Seth replied.   
  
"What?"  
  
"You need a bath."  
  
Inu wiggled until he slipped to the floor. In a dead run, he yelled over his shoulder, "I just had a bath last month!"  
  
Then he disappeared into the forest.   
  
Seth sighed. Oh what a day it was going to be.  
  
Meanwhile, Inu was outside, hiding in a tree watching the front door nervously, almost fearfully, from his perch on a branch. He never noticed Seth slip out the back window and walk a wide circle around the house to come up behind hi . He was watching the door so intently that he never even noticed when Seth climbed up the tree and peered down at him from the branch above his. He did, however, notice when Seth cleared his throat and asked, "Anything interesting?"  
  
Inu response was, "Ahhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" as he nearly fell out of the tree in fright. Luckily for him. Seth managed to jump out of the tree, casually catch him and toss him over his shoulder before hitting the ground on his feet and walking back to the house.   
  
Once inside, Inu was given no time to try and escape again. He was literally tossed into the tub, his shirt pulled off of him mid-air before he even hit the water. Inu pouted and moped, but didn't try to escape the water.   
  
Seth set upon him immediately, washing is hair with some sweet smelling soup until it shown, then scrubbing every part of Inu until his skin began to gleam an angry red in some places. Through all this, Inu sat placidly, glaring at everything in his range of vision. When Seth finally removed Inu and helped him to dry off, Inu thought he was finished. He was proven wrong when Seth pulled out a brush and sat Inu down on the bed while kneeling behind him and brush through the knots. At this Inu heaved a sigh. It took nearly two hours to work out the worts of the knots, with Inu yelping with pain several times. Seth continued working for almost half an hour even hen most of the knots were out and with the brush running through his now-silky strands of hair, Inu was near purring with contentment.   
  
When the brushing was finally finished, Seth gave Inu his clean clothes and took him outside.   
  
"What are we doing?" Inu asked innocently.   
  
"We're stretching," Seth replied.   
  
"Stretching?"  
  
"Yes. You're muscles are going to cramp with disuse soon and you need to exercise them in order for them to work properly again. However, you're still recovering so anything strenuous is out of the question," Seth said and began to show Inu the movements to stretch his body. Almost an hour later with the sun setting behind the horizon, Inu lay on the grass, exhausted, while Seth finished up his stretches. Inu hadn't realized how tired he would get after such simple moves, but there he was, too tired to move.   
  
A moment later, Seth came and laid down next to Inu, his head pillowed on his arm. Looking over at his companion, Inu was forced to ask the question that had been bugging him all day.   
  
"How long?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"How long until you leave me?" Inu asked again. It seemed like forever before Seth answered.   
  
"You already know that I cannot stay forever. You're smart enough to have guessed that from what I have told you of my past. Two full moons. Roughly two months. Then I will have to leave you."  
  
Inu sighed in relief. In his childish mind, two months stretched out like forever, even though it was a relatively short period of time. He wouldn't have to worry about convincing Seth to stay for two months.   
  
"Inu Yasha," Seth called gently, startling the boy from his thoughts.   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"While I am here I am going to teach what I can about how to survive. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. Do you wish to try?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We start tomorrow morning."  
  
And with that, both headed off to bed.   
  
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	13. Ch 12

And that's just what they did for the next two months. They started off slow, Seth showing Inu things like self-defense and other fighting techniques that even humans could use. Then they moved into the things that only demons could do, like honing Inu's sense of smell and tracking techniques, his attacks with his claws, and healing himself. Seth taught him how to use a sword and how to use his energy to attack, and even how to use his own blood to make his claws more deadly.   
  
On top of all that, Seth taught Inu other things, like geography and cooking, though only with mild success in the latter.  
  
And Inu, for the most part, was the picture of a happy young boy, choosing to ignore the part of himself that was terrified and angry that Seth was planning to leave him. He embracing the part of himself that went on fishing trips and desperately tried to mimic Seth in cooking fish, only to have his come out scaley and eat some of Seth's fish instead. He showed the part of himself that had been so long repressed, the part that was still a wounded child, lonely and scared from the loss of his mother, but had complete faith in Seth.   
  
And it was probably because of how much the angry part of himself was repressed at this time that Inu was so terrified when Seth said he had to leave.   
  
"What?! You can't leave me! You..."  
  
"Calm down, Inu Yasha, I'm only leaving for a few hours. I need to go into town, and it would be a perfect time for you to test your hunting skills alone. Don't tell me you're afraid?" Seth said, knowing it would sting Inu's pride.   
  
"Of course not, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't have ta cook dinner, that's all," Inu said. Seth hid a smile.   
  
Inu was nervous and edgy for the rest of the day and that night he couldn't sleep. Fear that Seth wouldn't come back ate at him alive and he was close to tears when he finally gave up and slipped out of bed. He padded across the room to where Seth lie sleeping, only feet away from his bed. He stared at the person who had let him become a child again for a moment, before slipping under the covers and snuggling against him as he had done on one other occasion. He had only giving in to his need to be comforted once before, when a gale had threatened to tear apart their tiny shack.   
  
Just as now, Seth had seemed not to notice this tiny intruder in his bed, but as Inu began to doze off to sleep, his hand came up to stroke the pup's silvery locks of hair in a comforting manner.   
  
Morning found Inu alone, Seth already cooking breakfast. By noon Seth had packed up all their necessary belongings and handed the lighter half to Inu.   
  
"I will meet you in the village of Kyumio at sunset. Make sure you follow the river downstream," Seth stated calmly, as small gleam shining in his eyes.  
  
"I only got lost once!" Inu snapped defensively.   
  
"For eight hours. It didn't help matters the you were only fifty feet from the house."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Inu muttered, turning his back. He bit his lip as he took a step. Abruptly, he turned on his heel and launched himself at Seth, grabbing him around the waste and hugging him as tightly as he could. Then just as abruptly, he was gone, darting off through the forest.   
  
Inu didn't see the tear that silently tracked its way down Seth's face, only to be harshly wiped away and forgotten.   
  
Seth turned and, grabbing his packs, left the cabin for the last time.   
  
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	14. Ch 13

After discarding his disguise, Lord Sesshomaru walked out of the forest and into the clearing where Jakkin was not-so-patiently waiting.   
  
"Lord Sesshomaru, where have you been? You should not run off without me, it is much too dangerous, me lord..." and Jakkin raved on and on.   
  
I wonder what he would say if I told him I was taking care of my baby brother? Sesshomaru thought to himself with an ironic smile, then frowned abruptly. He would have thought I had killed him. I'll have to keep Jakkin away from the boy, he might try and take him out on his own and then I would have to kill him. Not that that's such a bad idea.   
  
"Jakkin, go and find a human of about my size and weight and meet me at the cave of the witch Morteki," Sesshomaru said. Jakkin looked confused.   
  
"Whatever for, me lord?"  
  
"Did I ask you to question me?"  
  
"No! I'll go at once! Do you want him dead or alive?" Jakkin asked, jumping to obey.   
  
"Dead."  
  
It was over two hours before Jakkin managed to make the climb to the cave, dragging the lifeless body of a young man with him. By that time Sesshomaru and the witch had already made an agreement, everything in Sesshomaru's plan was finalized.   
  
Placing the body on the table, Sesshomaru instructed the witch on how the body needed to look. When they were finished, a man with short hair and light amber eyes, dressed all in purple and black. The man looked exactly like Seth.   
  
"Me Lord, what is all this for?" Jakkin asked.  
  
"Do you dare question my actions?"  
  
"Nay, me lord. Tell me what to do next."  
  
"We will go to the village of Kyumio and destroy it. Leave the body there and it will be assumed that the person I disguised myself as is dead."  
  
"But why waste the disguise you have worn on this journey? Why plant the body and destroy the village for no reason? Why go to all this trouble?"  
  
"It is none of your concern!" Sesshomaru nearly shouted, then stormed outside to think.   
  
Why am I going to all this trouble for him? He's just a bastard pup. I should kill him and get it over with, not protect him. And am I really protecting him by sending him off on his own? I know he's stronger now and I'll be able to watch over him from a distance, but doesn't he need love and security too? I simply don't know how to give that. If my subjects find him with me they will stop at nothing to destroy him. It is safer that no one know who he is, let them think he is just a wandering orphan.   
  
But still, why the disguise, why do I have to make it that he won't ever see Seth again. Why can't I just tell him who I am and why I ha e to leave him? I could still go and see him from time to time if I did that.   
  
A picture of Inu formed in Sesshomaru's mind, his face the picture of love and joy, and Sesshomaru had his answer.   
  
No, I can't. Because if he ever looked at me the way he looked at Seth, I would not be able to leave him behind.  
  
__________________________________________________________________________ 


	15. Ch 14 The End

Inu marched toward Kyumio just after the sun had set, humming a little to himself. It had been a day full of mixed emotions. Fear of being alone and away from Seth, pride that Seth was confident enough in his ability to fend for himself to let him go own his own, happiness that he had managed to catch a few fish and a bird, disappointment that he hadn't been able to catch a rabbit. But all in all, it had been a fairly good day.   
  
Inu abruptly stopped humming and sniffed the air. He smelled smoke.   
  
His heart dropped to his feet and he lurched into a run, dropping his bags without a thought. His mind raced with thoughts.   
  
Seth's fine. Nothing could have happened to him. He's too strong. He's going to laugh at me for this. I know he's alright. He wouldn't let anything happen to himself. He's not weak, like me. He's fine. He can't be hurt. He wouldn't leave me...  
  
Inu gasped and came to a dead halt as he neared the village. The whole thing was ablaze, the fires so bright it looked like sunset. Bodies were strewn through the streets, some burned, others just ripped apart. No one was crying, no one was screaming, no one was breathing. The silence filled Inu, causing a blackened hole inside him.   
  
All he could think was.   
  
NonononoAllalone,socold,allalonepleasenoCan'tbealonecoldSethdon'tleavenonono  
  
Inu was running before he knew he was moving, searching for Seth, praying to see him standing there, a smirk one his face as if to say, "I knew where you were the whole time, what took you so long to find me?"  
  
Inu ran up and down every street in the village, his young mind wrapped too tightly to take in most of what he saw. Sometimes a flash of fire, or a splatter of blood would make it into his conscious thought, but that was all.   
  
Until he recognized the purple of Seth's clothes. Inu dream-like state, he was a Seth's side before he was even aware of it. Tenderly, he turned him over.   
  
Seth's face was relaxed and peaceful, had it not been for the fact that his chest was covered in blood, he would have looked to be sleeping. Inu knelt next to Seth, drawing the broken body up to himself. His eyes clouded over and he saw nothing, tears streamed down his face unnoticed.   
  
It was not until he heard the snapping of a branch behind him that he came back, with a startled gasp, and whirled around. He turned and looked around, something inside of him making him look up into a tree. There, he saw the glimmer of something a the tiniest bit of movement.   
  
"Show yourself!" Inu barked while inside he was shaking in fear. It took so long for the person to jump out of the tree that Inu thought for a moment he had refused. What he saw was a dog-demon, his white-silver hair flowing around him as he stood passively in front of the destruction. He seemed to glow with power.   
  
"Who are you?" Inu asked. The person paused, then stated slowly.   
  
"Sesshomaru."  
  
Inu felt nothing even as his mind screamed Brother! Inu felt nothing, so he ignored his mind's persistent nagging that this was his only family left. It wasn't. Seth had been his only family.   
  
"Did you do this?" Inu asked, his voice devoid of emotion. If Inu had been looking up he would have seen surprise mingled with sadness on Sesshomaru's face, but he was staring at Seth's body, as though he could will it to life.   
  
"Yes," Sesshomaru answered softly after a long period of time. Inu nearly leapt off the ground at the same time he clutched Seth's body tightly to his chest. Inu saw red.   
  
"I hate you!" Inu nearly roared, "I'll kill you! I'll find you and I'll kill you and I'll never forgive you for this! I hate you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!" Inu screamed as tears ran brokenly down his face.   
  
If his vision had not been so clouded with, maybe Inu would have seen the pain that laced through Sesshomaru's being, sinking into every bone, every fiber, until it all but consumed him.   
  
But no one except Inu would have ever been able to see that from the outside, and now that Inu hated him, no one ever would again.   
  
Belatedly, Sesshomaru realized that Inu would stay with the body forever if he could, and Sesshomaru didn't want Inu to be there when the scavenger demons arrived to pick at the corpses in the morning. He also realized the only course of action that he could take without giving away his secret. He tried telling himself it shouldn't matter what he did now that Inu hated him, but it didn't help.   
  
"Little Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru chanted, "I think it's time for a little game of cat and mouse."  
  
Inu had barely looked up again when Sesshomaru attacked, aiming his claws just inches in front of Inu's face, so that Inu was forced to let go of the body and jump back. On his feet before Sesshomaru could attack again, Inu stood in a defensive stance for a second, his eyes darting from Sesshomaru back to the body as if trying to find a way to take the body with him. Sesshomaru lunged at him, missing, and Inu made a mad dash for the forest.   
  
Sesshomaru followed Inu as he ran desperately, it wasn't hard for him to keep up with the younger demon, but he made sure Inu only saw him now and again so that Inu thought he was losing him. It also kept Inu from turning back and trying to get Seth's body again. Sesshomaru wasn't sure what Inu would do with it, but he didn't want to find out.   
  
It was hours before Inu felt that he had totally lost Sesshomaru and Inu was almost too exhausted find himself a cave and drag himself in it. But he did manage to find one, though a lot larger than he would have like, and was asleep the moment he hit the ground.   
  
Outside, Sesshomaru watched over the cave from a limb.   
  
That night, Inu had a horrible nightmare about Seth's death. Everything that he hadn't seen before he saw in it's full glory then. The bodies, the blood, the gaping hole in Seth's chest. Inu was screaming by the time the dream ended.   
  
Then suddenly Inu was dreaming agin, and Seth was there, whispering to him, telling him everything he had wanted to hear. Seth told him that he loved him, that he would always be there, and that he would always watch over him, even if Inu couldn't see him. He said that Inu would never have to be alone again. Inu tried to open his eyes and look at Seth, to tell him how glad he was that he was back, but some force held him still. Inu contented himself to returning to a dreamless sleep while Seth murmured words of comfort.  
  
Sesshomaru wanted to cry as he returned to his tree branch. All the pain he had caused his little brother, all the hurt and fear, was it really worth it. Sesshomaru fell asleep in the tree that night with a heavy hear.   
  
And Inu never knew that while he slept, a man with white hair watched over him, never daring to get near, but never going very far. And Sesshomaru never forgot his promise to protect Inu and he did that the only way he knew how; by watching from the background, by helping Inu in little ways never making his presence known, and by making Inu hate him. 


	16. More Notes!

I'm so sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
I can't believe I was so mean to Inu then ended with such a sad ending!   
  
If you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me, please reveiw me, HINT HINT.  
  
I really didn't mean for this to be such a sad story, but it was the only way for me to make INu and Sesshy hate eachother. Being a big sister to three, I just can't see them hating eachother for no reason.   
  
I really am very sorry if I ruined this series for you because of how sad it is. I was thinking of making a sequel, hopefully a happier one, but I really don't know yet.   
  
P.S. If you liked this story, try reading my other inu-Yasha story or my gundam wing story.   
  
The gundam has a little of everything, and a lot of vampires and other supernatural stuff. It is sooooo cute.   
  
The other Inu is a light, humor romance peice and I think you'll really like it. It's funny, but not stupid.   
  
I also want to appologize for not doing disclaimers and happy little notes on this one. I was busy and desperate to get this story up so you people WOULD STOP STALKING ME!!!!  
  
I think you all know I don't own INu yasha or any of these animes.   
  
And I would like to end this story on the final note that if you love me, you will reveiw me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


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